Beautiful Madrid, Spain (Part 3)

Click HERE to see other Europe travelogues!

Santa María la Real de La Almudena (Almudena Cathedral)

Before I start on my Taiwan trip (haven’t gotten the photos from X…), I think I should hurry and finish my Europe posts… it’s been over a year since I was there (ooops!). So… finally we’re on our last instalment of Madrid!

Mercado de San Miguel (San Miguel Market)

We passed by Mercado de San Miguel and decided to head in for a look. Mercado de San Miguel is one of the oldest covered markets in Madrid, being built in 1916, but with the renovation, it looks like very new and classy.

Cherries!

I love, love, love the cherries in Europe – huge, sweet and juicy! I’m amazed by the vendor’s patient to arrange these cherries!

Besides the usual meat, cheeses, vegetables and fruits, desserts are also being sold here!

Mercado de San Miguel

Plaza de San Miguel
Sun – Wed 10:00 – 22:00, Thu – Sat 10:00 – 02:00

Plaza de la Villa (Town Square)

Plaza de la Villa is a small square located not very far from Plaza Mayor. It is worth a visit as there are a couple of beautiful buildings constructed here. And one of it is Casa de la Villa:

Casa de la Villa

This beautiful building was constructed in 1644 and once served as the town hall and prison. See the two doors? The left one is the prison entrance while the other one leads to the town hall.

Santa María la Real de La Almudena (Almudena Cathedral)

Almudena Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral built in 1879, built on the site of a medieval mosque that was destroyed in 1083. The construction was halted during the Spanish Civil War until 1950 and was finally completed in 1993.

Interior of Almudena Cathedral

Upon stepping in, we were greeted with super tall pillars and a stunning chapel. Though there’s very little historical significance in this church, it’s still stunning to witness the sheer size of the cathedral.

Interior of Almudena Cathedral

Almudena Cathedral

Calle de Bailén, 8  28013 Madrid, Spain
September – June: Daily 9am – 8.30pm
July – August: Daily 10am – 2pm; 5pm – 9pm
Subway to Opera station, Line 2,5

Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Basilica of St. Francis the Great)

Basílica de San Francisco el Grande was built in 1760. It once served as the national pantheon and enshrined the remains of many Spanish artists and politicians.

Basílica de San Francisco el Grande

Pl. de San Francisco, Madrid, Spain
Oct-Jun: Daily 11am-12.30pm, 4pm-6.30pm
July-Sept: Tues-Sat 11am-12.30pm, 5pm-7.30pm
€3

Palacio Real de Madrid (The Royal Palace of Madrid)

The Royal Palace is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family, but it is only used for state ceremonies. It is one of the top tourist attractions in Madrid – we managed to get a listening guide while exploring the palace.

Palacio Real de Madrid
(The Royal Palace of Madrid)

October – March: 10:30am – 6pm
Sundays and holidays 10am – 4pm;
April – September: Daily 10am – 8pm;
Metro: Opera (Red Line, L2) or (Green Line, L5)
€8.00 without guide; €10.00 with guide.

We saw a street performer playing wine glass music – really amazing!

Templo de Debod

Templo de Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple dating all the way back to 4th century BC and was brought to Madrid in 1971. The temple was originally located in the Nile Valley of Egypt and dedicated to god Amun and the goddess Isis. When the construction of a dam threatened the temple, the temple was given away to Spain as a gift.

Templo de Debod

Paseo del Pintor Rosales, 2  28008 Madrid, Spain
Metro: Plaza de España or Ventura Rodríguez

Campo del Moro with Royal Palace at the background

Campo del Moro means Field of the Moor – it was named so as a Moorish army had camped in this park during the 12th century which became a hunting park. In the 19th century, it was made into a public park. Great for a break and to have a peek of the Royal Palace.

Campo del Moro with Royal Palace at the background (close-up)

San Jerónimo el Real (St. Jerome Royal Church)

As the sun was setting, we passed by this Gothic Roman Catholic church built in the early 16th-century. Originally a monastery founded in 1503, the monks were expelled in 1808 during the War of Independence. The church was then closed for a while in 1836 and was re-open after two periods of restoration.

San Jerónimo el Real
(St. Jerome Royal Church)

Calle Moreto 4
Open daily 10am to 1pm; 5pm to 8pm
Metro: Retiro

We had dinner at Botin on one of the days in Madrid. Botin is one of the oldest working restaurant in the world and was founded by Frenchman Jean Botin in 1725.

Roast Pork

The roast pork is one of the recommended dishes in Botin. The serving size ain’t very big and there ain’t much sides to go along with. The roast pork, was however pretty delicious.

Restaurant Botin

Calle Cuchilleros 17, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Contact number: 91 366 4217

Chocolaterias Valor

We stopped by at this cafe for breakfast – thinking they serve delicious hot chocolate. However, the hot chocolate they served is not those drinking hot chocolate, but dipping hot chocolate for churros! It was an accidental but lucky find for us as the chocolate’s really rich and delicious. Paired with crispy churros? I was in heaven! They also have lots of other desserts to choose from if you’re not a fan of churros.

(Asked X to pose for me!)

Chocolaterias Valor

Calle Postigo de San Martin 7, 28013 Madrid, Spain

Ending a photo with our chill-out photo at a bar near Templo de Debod. The weather was really warm so we went for a drink 😉

The last destination is London! Hope you guys aren’t bored of reading such outdated posts… but those beautiful sites are still there, so do check them out if you have a chance 😉